Together We Thrive

[Sadia Jafrin]

In 2020, I made a big decision to work full-time for the Grow Your Reader Foundation, a journey that has been full of challenges, learning, and growth. Our journey began with a small but incredibly dedicated group of volunteers who have always been close to my heart. Their support has been invaluable, and without them, we wouldn't have made it this far.

By 2022, we started expanding our team, hiring staff to strengthen our work. Now, in 2024, we are a team of 11 passionate individuals working on various projects across Bangladesh. While we may be a small team, in my eyes, we are the best team in the world. We are taking baby steps, but each step brings us closer to achieving our shared dream.

Recently, we held a dream-building session using the SALT process, which stands for Stimulate, Appreciate, Listen, and Transfer. This process helped us envision our goals for 2040, and I was overwhelmed by the motivation and engagement of our teammates. It was inspiring to see that they have even bigger dreams for the Grow Your Reader Foundation than I do. Their passion pushes me to take greater risks and dream bigger. However, this journey hasn't been without its challenges. At times, I worried that I was expecting too much from my colleagues, and I often felt that direct, one-on-one communication wasn't always effective. But this dream-building session was a revelation. I realized that having a shared dream makes it okay to have high expectations, as long as we maintain boundaries and respect each other’s limits. I’ve also felt alone at times, trying to shoulder the workload to ease the pressure on my colleagues. Yet, during this session, I discovered that my team is not just willing but eager to take on challenges. They are even more curious and driven than I am. Seeing everyone write down their individual dreams and then come together to create a shared vision was truly magical. The enthusiasm and shared mindset among us were so powerful that we ended up writing and composing a poem together—a true testament to our unity and collective spirit. This experience taught me that when we dream together, we can achieve so much more.

I invite you to listen to our song through the Google Drive link below.
Please click here to listen our dream song

Thank you for being part of our journey, and here's to building our dream, step by step, together.

[Shahrukh Atpade]

Thank you Sadia..!

[Sadia Jafrin]

Thank you very much, Shahrukh. I noticed that you read each and every blog and always try to start a conversation. It’s so nice to see that!

[Shahrukh Atpade]

What an inspiring journey! It's incredible to see how the team has expanded and evolved. Your leadership is truly making a difference...!